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Learning About Watersheds
In this learning about watersheds instructional activity, students answer 15 questions using links to web resources about water use in their community. This page includes numerous links to helpful websites.
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Discovering The Oasis
Students participate in a lesson that is concerned with the ecosystem of a local pond. The teacher makes arrangements for students to take a field trip. Time is spent in class for preparation and afterward for debriefing of lab...
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Point- vs. Non-point Pollution
Students differentiate between point and non-point pollution and determine how the different types of pollution are harmful to aquatic ecosystems. They complete a series of tests on a sample of "polluted" water and a sample of "pure" water.
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The Tibetan Plateau
Students discuss the characteristics of the biosphere, with a focus on the Tibetan Plateau. They participate in a question and answer period discussing biomes and climate patterns. They compare and contrast different ecosystems.
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Biodiversity Debate
Ninth graders debate the positive aspects of dam construction. They discuss how a dam changes the ecosystem. In groups, 9th graders research and gather information for a debate. They state their position and write a report supporting it....
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Neotaquit Nature Center: Ecosystems, Science, Technology
Students survey their local forest conducting an inventory of tree species and analyzing data of local ecosystems. They design a nature trail, map the area and make a computer generated trail guide.
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Community Improvement
Students examine a local body of water to determinet the health of its ecosystem and monitor it during the year. If needed they write a report on any conditions that need improvement including photographs and relevant data.
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My Life as a Loggerhead
Students discuss the current flow of the Gulf Stream and the characteristics of the Sargasso Sea. They visit websites to gather information on loggerhead sea turtles. Students imagine that they are newly hatched loggerhead turtles.
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Riparian Zones Grades 4-8
Students examine and analyze the Riparian Zones found on the edges of streams and lakes. They assess why those are such valuable ecosystems and then conduct actual field research on riparian zones and conclude by drawing conclusions from...
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Riparian Review
High schoolers engage in the process of researching a riparian ecosystem. They conduct a field trip in order to obtain different types of data and work on measurement skills to analyze data to form a conclusion about the biotic factors...
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Who Lives In The Water
Students investigate the environment of a stream or lake to collect and observe macroinvertebrates in their natural environment. They record data and summarize the information obtained. Students look to see if there has been any human...
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Land Use
Students examine ecosystems that covered Illinois 200 years ago, investigate some living and non-living components of ecosystems, identify components of prairie system, create food webs, and observe human effects on environment. Lessons...
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Discovering the Oasis
Students focus on the types of vegetation and animal life living around local water sources. This lesson plan can be adapted to any local water source, whether it be a lake, a river, stream or ocean. It has a particular focus on the...
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The Effect of Medications on Daphnia
Students explore how human beings affect the world's ecosystem by examining the affects of medication on daphnia, a small freshwater organism very sensitive to pollution. Students use a computer model to repeat the experiment and analyze...
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Daphnia and Algae: A Study of Pond Dynamics
Students observe interrelationships and interdependencies of organisms which may generate stable ecosystems. They also study that living organisms have the capacity to produce infinite sized populations, but environments and resources...
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Food Webs
Fourth graders discover how organisms depend upon each other in an ecosystem. In this ecosystems lesson, 4th graders use food webs to discuss the interdependence between organisms in an ecosystem.
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Vocabulary: Kansas Prairies
Students explore the ecosystem by reviewing scientific vocabulary terms. In this environmental awareness activity, students identify the differences between abiotic and biotic factors and their relationship to the Earth. Students define...
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Hawaii's Freshwater Ecosystems
Students examine brackish water. In this Science instructional activity, students observe organisms found in brackish water. Students record their observations of the various organisms.
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Living Organisms as Indicators of Pollutants in Fresh Water Ecosystems
Students observe the effects of pollution on living organisms. In this pollution lesson plan, students observe fresh water Hydra and look at their structures and movement. They place samples of pond and lake water on the Hydra and...
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Wild and Wetlands
Upper graders identify the major characteristics of a wetland. They explore the human factors that change a wetland and write a descriptive paragraph about wetlands. This comprehensive lesson also has an interactive "Watershed Game"...
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River Research
Students use the internet to research the streams and rivers found in Illinois. Using the information, they identify and describe the rivers and streams along with the physical characteristics of a river ecosystem. They share what they...
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Exploring Wyoming Species Habitats
Middle schoolers are introduced to the concept of species habitats and ranges. They introduced to ArcView GIS as a tool for mapping. Pupils use query data for species withina county, elevation, range, rivers and streams, land cover, and...
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Rock River Watershed
Students discover what a watershed is and which one they live in. Using the internet, they research why watersheds are important to an ecosystem and how to keep them from getting polluted. They use a map to locate various items within a...
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Biomes
In this biomes worksheet, students review the characteristics of aquatic biomes and terrestrial biomes. This worksheet has 12 fill in the blank, 6 multiple choice, and 4 short answer questions.